Free Web NovelChapter 57: Chapter 57 Fated to Two
Bella’s POV
"I never wanted it!" Parker’s voice cracked through the tension like a whip. "I never chose to sleep with her."
His sudden outburst sent shock waves through all of us. The words hung in the air like an accusation, heavy with implications I wasn’t sure I wanted to understand.
"I was completely wasted that night. When I came to the next morning, she was there beside me in bed. That’s when those babies happened. I couldn’t stand her, never could. I still don’t know how she tracked me down when I was that far gone, but she swore she was just as drunk as I was. That’s the whole truth."
Parker’s hands covered his face as he spoke, his voice muffled but still carrying that raw edge of desperation. He stared at each of us, daring anyone to challenge his version of events.
"Besides, what does it matter? It’s not like Derek has any real shot with Bella anyway."
Hugo’s voice cut through the moment with calculated precision. He reached over and squeezed Parker’s shoulder, making decisions for Derek without bothering to ask. Derek’s head whipped toward Hugo so fast I thought he might get whiplash, his expression darkening with each passing second.
The irony wasn’t lost on me. Here I stood, watching three grown men debate my future like I was some prize to be won or lost, while I remained perfectly silent on the sidelines.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean? Of course I can be with her," Derek shot back, his jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth.
I crossed my arms and settled in to watch this train wreck unfold. They were piling excuse upon excuse about how their wives meant absolutely nothing to them, how those relationships were mistakes or obligations or anything but real connections.
The whole scene transported me back to that horrible night years ago. The memory hit me like a physical blow. I had stood in this very backyard, tears streaming down my face, and not one of them had wanted me then.
Now here they were again, same location, but the script had flipped completely. They were fighting over me like I was the last piece of chocolate in the box.
What made it even more ridiculous was that they were wasting their breath. I had no intention of taking any of them back. Too much water under that bridge. I had built a new life, found my peace, and their current unhappiness wasn’t my responsibility to fix.
But I had seriously underestimated just how far these alpha males would go.
The argument between Hugo and Derek was picking up steam, and I could sense dangerous secrets hovering just beneath the surface, ready to explode.
"How exactly do you plan to be with her when you’re already married? Nobody’s going to stand for that. Your pack will tear you apart, and the council will come down on you like a ton of bricks," Hugo reminded Derek, ticking off each obstacle on his fingers.
"Not if I lay out the real truth about us."
Derek’s words hit me like ice water. My eyes went wide and goosebumps raced across my skin.
"What truth are you talking about?" Parker demanded, and I could see the wheels turning in his head, realizing this couldn’t possibly be about Leah. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
"The truth that she’s my fated mate."
The words dropped like a bomb. Hugo’s head snapped toward me while Parker’s face twisted with confusion and something that looked dangerously close to betrayal.
"That’s impossible. She doesn’t even have a functioning wolf," Parker protested, jabbing his finger in my direction like I was evidence in his case.
"That’s exactly how she ended up wearing my clothes. She shifted for the first time. She took on the old man in a fight and saved my life. After that, our wolves went crazy because they recognized the mate bond," Derek explained, and that smug smile spreading across his face made me want to slap it right off.
His satisfaction was like gasoline on a fire.
"This can’t be happening. Tell me it’s not true. Did you actually feel the mate bond with him?" Parker asked, and the hurt in his voice was unmistakable.
But Hugo had captured my full attention. He was looking at me like I had just risen from the dead, and I knew exactly what was coming next.
"How is that even possible when she’s my mate?" Hugo finally exploded, loud enough to make Parker spin around and look between him and Derek like he was watching a tennis match.
"How is any of this real, Bella?" Parker’s voice came out as barely more than a whisper.
"So now you want to drag me into this mess? Even after I made it crystal clear that I don’t want any part of your drama?" I kept my voice level and calm.
The second I spoke, I watched their faces fall. They obviously didn’t appreciate my detached attitude about the whole situation.
"As for this mate bond business with both of them, I honestly have no idea what’s going on. I can’t even explain why my wolf decided to wake up after all these years, so I’d rather not speculate," I said with a shrug, maintaining my composure.
I could tell my indifference was driving them absolutely crazy.
"Hold on. You’re mated to both of them? Why them? Doesn’t it strike you as weird that the two men who fathered your children are the exact same two you’re supposedly bonded to?" Parker’s complaint carried a note of genuine anguish.
He sounded more devastated that it was them instead of him than anything else. Even as he spoke, he had one hand pressed against his chest like he was trying to hold his heart together.
"Maybe the Moon Goddess figured out that at least one of us didn’t deserve her," Derek shot back, and I watched Parker’s hands curl into fists.
"Enough!" I snapped at Derek for deliberately provoking Parker, who looked ready to combust. "Just stop it."
"Whatever games you two think you’re playing with this mate bond, just remember that I won’t go quietly into the night," Parker warned, and there was something dark and threatening in his tone that made the hair on my arms stand up.
I couldn’t wrap my head around their entitlement. They had the audacity to hurt me, then come back expecting to control not just my life but my choices about who I might give a chance to. Even though I hated admitting it, they still seemed completely oblivious to the fact that my feelings mattered. My decisions counted for something.
"You shouldn’t be making threats, Parker. We’re alphas too, in case you forgot," Hugo replied with deceptive calm.
That’s when the back door swung open and Jack stepped out, rubbing his hands together like he was about to enjoy a good show.
"Just catching up on old times, are we?" he commented, that knowing grin spreading across his face.
"Actually, we were just about to head out," Derek muttered. None of them were in any mood to deal with Jack after everything that had just exploded between them.
Their tempers were already hanging by threads.
But Jack clearly had his own agenda. He nodded thoughtfully, scratching the back of his neck while his eyes found mine and lingered there.
Then he lifted his head, done with the subtle glances since everyone was watching him now.
"Why don’t you three take the car back while Bella and I walk? The hotel’s close enough anyway," he suggested.
The moment those words left his mouth, all three of them went rigid.
